Fifteen features will world premiere at the 68th BFI London Film Festival (LFF), including Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s documentary Endurance, and previously announced opening title Steve McQueen’s Blitz.
The festival takes place from October 9-20.
Free Solo and Nyad directing duo Vasarhelyi and Chin direct Endurance alongside Natalie Hewit, which examines the lost ship of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Further world premieres include Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson’s documentary Holloway, about one of the largest women’s prisons in Europe.
Steven Knight’s Victorian boxing series A Thousand Blows, starring Stephen Graham, will receive its world premiere.
Previously announced world premieres include Ben Taylor’s Cunard Gala Joy and main competition titles Darren Thornton’s Irish comedy film Four Mothers, Palestinian filmmaker Laila Abbas’ feature debut, Thank You For Banking With Us and Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard The Extraordinary Miss Flower.
The first feature competition includes five UK-produced features: Sasha Nathwani’s Berlinale premiere Last Swim; Laura Carreira’s Toronto title On Falling; and Cannes premieres Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, Ariane Labed’s September Says and Mahdi Fleifel’s To A Land Unknown.
Unannounced headline galas include a selection of Cannes, Toronto and Venice premieres, including Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, Sean Baker’s Anora, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, Edward Berger’s Conclave, Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez and Pablo Larraín’s Maria. John Crowley’s San Sebastian closing night film We Live In Time is the Mayor of London’s Gala and Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths is the BFI Patrons’ Gala.
A total of 168 features are set to make-up the programme, including two world premieres that are yet to be announced and the surprise film. This is roughly in line with recent editions, with 171 features playing in 2023, including 14 world premieres, and 164 in 2022.
Of the 253 works that make-up the programme, including shorts, series, episodic and immersive pieces, 112 works, or 44%, of the programme are from by female and non-binary filmmakers. This is a small increase on last year, when 42% of the programme were from female or non-binary directors, and 2022, where the figure was 41%.
The festival will take place at London’s BFI Southbank and The Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, as well as cinemas and venues across central London including Curzon Soho and the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and nine partner cinemas across the UK: Manchester’s HOME; Bristol’s Watershed; Glasgow Film Theatre; Nottingham’s Broadway; Sheffield’s Showroom Cinema; Belfast’s Queen’s Film Theatre; Cardiff’s Chapter; and Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema.
Full details of the industry line-up will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
LFF 2024 line-up
*denotes world premiere
Headline galas
Blitz* (UK) – opening nightDir. Steve McQueen
Piece By Piece (US) – closing nightDir. Morgan Neville
Elton John: Never Too Late (US)Dirs. R.J. Cutler, David Furnish
Anora (US)Dir. Sean Baker
The Apprentice (Can-Den-Ire)Dir. Ali Abbasi
Bird (UK)Dir. Andrea Arnold
Conclave (UK-US)Dir. Edward Berger
Emilia Pérez (Fr)Dir. Jacques Audiard
Hard Truths (UK-Sp)Dir. Mike Leigh
Joy* (UK)Dir. Ben Taylor
Maria (It-Ger-US)Dir. Pablo Larraín
Nightbitch (US)Dir. Marielle Heller
That Christmas* (UK)Dir. Simon Otto
The Room Next Door (Sp)Dir. Pedro Almodóvar
We Live In Time (UK-Fr)Dir. John Crowley
Special presentations
All We Imagine As Light (Fr-India-Neth-Lux)Dir. Payal Kapadia
The Ballad Of Suzanne Césaire (US)Dir. Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich
Dahomey* (Fr-Senegal-Benin)Dir. Mati Diop
Endurance (UK-US)Dirs. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Natalie Hewit
Harvest (UK-Ger-Greece-Fr-US)Dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari
I’m Still Here (Bra-Fr)Dir. Walter Salles
A Nice Indian Boy (US-Can)Dir. Roshan Sethi
Nickel Boys (US)Dir. Ramell Ross
The Piano Lesson (US)Dir. Malcolm Washington
Queer (It-US)Dir. Luca Guadagnino
A Real Pain (US-Pol)Dir. Jesse Eisenberg
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Iran-Ger-Fr)Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
Silent Sherlock (UK)Dirs. Maurice Elvey, George Ridgwell
The Wild Robot (US)Dir. Chris Sanders
LFF awards
Official competition
April (Fr-Geo-It) Dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili
Bring Them Down (Ire-UK-Belg) Dir. Christopher Andrews
The Extraordinary Miss Flower* (UK)Dirs. Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Four Mothers* (Ire-UK)Dir. Darren Thornton
Living In Two Worlds (Japan)Dir. Mipo O
Memoir Of A Snail (Australia)Dir. Adam Elliot
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (Zambia-UK-Ire) Dir. Rungano Nyoni
Thank You For Banking With Us* (Palestine-Ger)Dir. Laila Abbas
The Wolves Always Come At Night (Australia-Mong-Ger)Dir. Gabrielle Brady
Under The Volcano (Pol) Dir. Damian Kocur
Vermiglio (It-Fr-Belg)Dir. Maura Delpero
First Feature competition
Crocodile Tears (Indonesia-Fr-Sing-Ger)Dir. Tumpal Tampubolon
Hanami (Switz-Port-Cape Verde)Dir. Denise Fernandes
Happyend (Japan-US)Dir. Neo Sora
Last Swim (UK)Dir. Sasha Nathwani
My Eternal Summer (Den)Dir. Sylvia Le Fanu
Olivia & The Clouds (Dom Rep)Dir. Tomás Pichardo Espaillat
On Falling (UK-Port)Dir. Laura Carreira
Santosh (UK-Fr-Ger)Dir. Sandhya Suri
September Says (Ire-UK-Ger)Dir. Ariane Labed
To A Land Unknown (UK-Palestine-Fr-Greece-Neth-Ger)Dir. Mahdi Fleifel
Who Do I Belong To (Fr-Can-Tunisia)Dir. Meryam Joobeur
Documentary competition
Collective Monologue (Arg-UK)Dir. Jessica Sarah Rinland
Holloway* (UK)Dirs. Sophie Compton, Daisy-May Hudson
Kamay (Afg-Bel-Fr-Ger)Dirs. Ilyas Yourish, Shahrokh Bikaran
Mother Vera (UK)Dirs. Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson
Rising Up At Night (Democratic Republic Of Congo-Bel-Ger-Burkina Faso-Qat)Dir. Nelson Makengo
Seeking Mavis Beacon (US)Dir. Jazmin Jones
The Shadow Scholars* (UK)Dir. Eloise King
Witches (UK)Dir. Elizabeth Sankey
Love
All Of You (UK)Dir. William Bridges
All Shall Be Well (HK)Dir. Ray Yeung
At Averroes & Rosa Parks (Fr)Dir. Nicolas Philibert
Grand Tour (Port-It-Fr)Dir. Miguel Gomes
I’m Your Venus (US)Dir. Kimberly Reed
Motherboard (UK)Dir. Victoria Mapplebeck
Patrice: The Movie (US)Dir. Ted Passon
Pavements (US)Dir. Alex Ross Perry
Queens Of Drama (Fr-Belg)Dir. Alexis Langloi
Sex (Nor)Dir. Dag Johan Haugerud
Tarika* (Bul-Ger-Lux)Dir. Milko Lazarov
Weightless (It)Dir. Sara Fgaier
When Fall Is Coming (Fr)Dir. François Ozon
When The Light Breaks (Ice-Neth-Cro-Fr)Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson
Debate
2073 (UK)Dir. Asif Kapadia
Black Box Diaries (Japan-US-UK)Dir. Shiori Itō
The Cats Of Gokogu Shrine (Japan-US)Dir. Kazuhiro Soda
Families Like Ours (Den-Fr-Swe-Czech-Belg-Nor-Germ))Dir. Thomas Vinterberg
I Am Nevenka (Sp-It)Dir. Icíar Bollaín
The Invasion (Neth-Fr-Us)Dir. Sergei Loznitsa
Israel Palestine On Swedish TV 1958-1989 (Swe-Fin-Den)Dir. Göran Hugo Olsson
Julie Keeps Quiet (Bel-Swe)Dir. Leonardo Van Dijl
The Listeners (UK)Series creator: Jordan Tannahill
Three Kilometres To The End Of The World (Rom)Dir. Emanuel Pârvu
Youth (Homecoming) (Fr-Lux-Neth)Dir. Wang Bing
Laugh
Audrey (Australia)Dir. Natalie Bailey
The Gutter (US)Dirs. Isaiah Lester, Yassir Lester
The Other Way Around (Sp-Fr)Dir. Jonás Trueba
Rumours (Can-Germany)Dirs. Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson
Sofa, So Good (US)Dirs. Kyle Thiele, Eli Thiele, Cole Thiele
A Traveler’s Needs (S Kor)Dir. Hong Sangsoo, South Korea)
Triumph (Bul-Greece)Dirs. Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov
Universal Language (Can)Dir. Matthew Rankin
Dare
Bionico’s Bachata (Dom Rep)Dir. Yoel Morales
Caught By The Tides (China)Dir. Jia Zhangke
Cidade; Campo (Bra-Ger-Fr)Dir. Juliana Rojas
Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Viet-Sing-Phil-Indo)Dir. Dương Diệu Linh
Eight Postcards From Utopia (Rom)Dirs. Radu Jude, Christian Ferencz-Flatz
Familiar Touch (US)Dir. Sarah Friedland
My Stolen Planet (Ger-Iran)Dir. Farahnaz Sharifi
The Nights Still Smell Of Gunpowder (Mozambique-Fr-Ger-Port-Neth-Nor)Dir. Inadelso Cossa
Pepe (Dom Rep- Namibia-Ger-Fr)Dir. Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias
Praia Formosa (Port-Bra)Dir. Julia De Simone, Portugal-Bra
Sanatorium Under The Sign Of The Hourglass (UK-Pol-Ger)Dirs. Quay Brothers
Soundtrack To A Coup D’êtat (Belg-Fr-Neth)Dir. Johan Grimonprez
Sugar Island (Dom Rep-Sp)Dir. Johanné Gómez Terrero
Viêt And Nam (Phil-Fr-Sing-Neth-It-Ger-Viet)Dir. Trương Minh Quý
Thrill
Aïcha (Tunisia-Fr-It-Saudi-Qat)Dir. Mehdi M. Barsaoui
Architecton (Ger-Fr)Dir. Victor Kossakovsky
La Cocina (Mex-US)Dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios
Eat The Night (Fr)Dirs. Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel
Ghost Trail (Fr-Ger-Belg)Dir. Jonathan Millet
Maldoror (Belg-Fr)Dir. Fabrice Du Welz
Marco, The Invented Truth (Sp)Dirs. Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño
Misericordia (Fr-Sp-Port)Dir. Alain Guiraudie
Skincare (US-It)Dir. Austin Peters
Stranger Eyes (Sing-Tai-Fr-US)Dir. Yeo Siew Hua
A Thousand Blows (UK)Series creator: Steven Knight
Cult
The Balconettes (Fr)Dir. Noémie Merlant
Chain Reactions (US)Dir. Alexandre O. Philippe
Fréwaka (Ire)Dir. Aislinn Clarke
Sister Midnight (UK)Dir. Karan Kandhari
The Surfer (Australia-Ire)Dir. Lorcan Finnegan
The Wailing (Sp-Arg-Fr)Dir. Pedro Martín-Calero
The Weekend (Nigeria)Dir. Daniel Oriahi
Journey
After The Long Rains (Kenya-Switz)Dir. Damien Hauser
Baby (Bra)Dir. Marcelo Caetano
Eephus (US-Fr)Dir. Carson Lund
Flow (Latvia-Fr-Belg)Dir. Gints Zilbalodis
Good One (US)Dir. India Donaldson
Layla (UK)Dir. Amrou Al-Kadhi
Look Into My Eyes (US)Dir. Lana Wilson
My Everything (Fr)Dir. Anne-Sophie Bailly
Sebastian (UK-Belg-Fin)Dir. Mikko Mäkelä
Shambhala (Nepal-Fr-Nor-Turkey-HK-Tai-US-Qat)Dir. Min Bahadur Bham
Sujo (Mex-Fr-US)Dirs. Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valade
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (UK-US)Dirs. Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui
Treading Water* (UK)Dir. Gino Evans
The Village Next To Paradise (Austria-Fr-Ger-Somalia)Dir. Mo Harawe
Create
Abiding Nowhere (Tai-US)Dirs. Tsai Ming-Liang
Ernest Cole: Lost & Found (Fr-US)Dir. Raoul Peck
Grand Theft Hamlet (UK)Dirs. Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane
It’s Not Me (Fr)Dir. Leos Carax
One To One: John & Yoko (UK)Dirs. Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards
Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story (UK)Dir. Jane Mingay
The Stimming Pool (UK)Dir. The Neurocultures Collective
Superboys Of Malegaon (India)Dir. Reema Kagti
Twiggy (UK)Dir. Sadie Frost
Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other (UK-Den-US)Dirs. Jacob Perlmutter, Manon Ouimet
The Way We Talk* (HK)Dirs. Adam Wong Sau-Ping
Experimenta
The Treasury Of Human Inheritance (Canada-UK)Dir. Alexis Kyle Mitchell
I Don’t Want To Be Just A Memory (Ger)Dir. Sarnt Utamachote
Forms Of Circulation #1 (UK)Dirs. Paul Stewart, Sarah Perks
The River That Never Ends (Phil)Dir. Jt Trinidad
Notes: Remembered And Found (UK-Cyprus)Dir. Maria Anastassiou
Two Refusals (Would We Recognize Ourselves Unbroken?) (US)Dir. Suneil Sanzgiri
File No. 2304 (Can-US)Dir. A.S.M. Kobayashi
At The Verge Of Wordlessness (Neth)Dir. Alaa Abu Asad
Avant Seriana (Can-Algeria)Dir. Samy Benammar
Nido De Crocodilo (Col-Ger)Dir. Jazmin Rojas Forero
Non/Living (Turkey-Fin)Dir. Müge Yildiz
Two StonesDir. Noel Meek (NZ)
Hexham Heads (Belg)Dirs. Chloë Delanghe, Mattijs Driesen
The Flesh Of Language (Ire)Dir. Amanda Rice
Hemel (UK)Dir. Danielle Dean
Our Lady Who Burns (Port)Dir. Alice Dos Reis
Direct Action (Ger-Fr)Dirs. Guillaume Cailleau, Ben Russell
A Fidai Film (Palestine)Dir. Kamal Aljafari
Undr (Palestine)Dir. Kamal Aljafari
A Night We Held Between (Palestine)Dir. Noor Abed
No Exorcism Film (Thai)Dir. Komtouch Napattaloong
Small Hours Of The Night (Sing)Dir. Daniel Hui
Lff Expanded
Impulse: Playing With Reality (UK)Lead Artist – Anagram
Arcade (UK)Lead Artist – Darkfield
Last Minute (Fr)Lead Artists – Adrien M & Claire B
Superradiance. Embodying Earth (US)Lead Artists – Memo Akten, Katie Peyton Hofstadter
The Great Endeavour (US)Lead Artist – Liam Young
Mammary Mountain (UK)Lead Artists – Tara Baoth Mooney, Camille Baker, Maf’j Alvarez
Emperor (Fr)Lead Artists – Marion Burger, Ilan J. Cohen
Soul Paint (UK-Neth)Lead Artists – Sarah Ticho, Niki Smit
Stim Cinema (UK)Lead Artists – The Neurocultures Collective and Steven Eastwood
A Highland Song (UK)Inkle Studios
Playing Kafka (Czech)Charles Games
Paper Trail (UK)Newfangled Games
Dome King Cabbage (US)Joe Buchholz, Cobysoft Co.
Closer The Distance (Ger)Osmotic Studios
Family
Blink (Canada-US)Dirs. Edmund Stenson, Daniel Roher
The Colours Within (Japan)Dir. Naoko Yamada
Savages (Switz-Fr-Belg)Dir. Claude Barras
Watership Down (restoration)* (UK)Dir. Martin Rosen
Treasures
The Churning (India)Dir. Shyam Benegal
Manji (Japan)Dir. Yasuzô Masumura
María Candelaria (Mex)Dir. Emilio Fernández
The Sealed Soil (Iran)Dir. Marva Nabili
The Talk Of The Town (US)Dir. George Stevens
